Some quantitative results on Golgi impregnated axons in rat visual cortex using a computer assisted video digitizer

Axonal fiber distributions of pyramidal cells in the visual cortex of the albino rat have been investigated using the rapid Golgi method and modern data collecting techniques. Three dimensional coordinate information was extracted from Golgi-impregnated axonal networks using a computer-assisted video digitizer. Computer programs used this data to generate various statistical distributions. In particular, angular distributions of the initial collateral segments and their endpoints were examined and found to reveal anisotropies. Inspection of the spatial distributions of the endpoints indicated a clustering at two distinct levels with respect to the pyramidal cell from which they originate. Dynamic graphic displays of the three dimensional data have been obtained and presented in the form of computer tracings of various orthogonal projections.